Game Prediction - Clemson vs. Maryland

Throw matchups, x’s and o’s, and personnel out the window this week, Saturday’s game comes down to one thing.

Mental toughness.

Can Maryland overcome all of the injuries on offense? Or will it be Clemson who overcomes its recent struggles and the blowout loss to Florida State a week ago?

The team that is able to overcome all of the negativity is the one that will emerge victorious on a cold, windy Maryland afternoon.

WHAT: No. 9 Clemson (6-1, 4-1) at Maryland (5-2, 1-2)
WHEN: 3:30 on ESPN
WHERE: Byrd Stadium, College Park, Maryland

WHY MARYLAND MIGHT WIN: Clemson has a history of playing some of its worst football in College Park and letting Maryland stay in games or even win games that the Terps shouldn’t. For all of the injuries that Maryland has sustained, the game is still in Byrd Stadium, it is still Homecoming, and it is still the Terps last game against the Tigers as ACC rivals. For Maryland, without it’s starting quarterback, running back, both star wide receivers, linebacker, and safety, Saturday’s game is all about mental toughness. Can the Maryland defense force a couple of turnovers and score points to help the offense. A week ago, the Florida State Seminoles scored 24 points off of Clemson turnovers. If Maryland can do the same, Byrd stadium will have something to cheer about and the Terps can put more pressure on Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd. Despite the injuries that have riddled the Maryland football team, the defense is still only giving up 123.7 yards per game on the ground, good for 27th in the country and 2nd in the ACC. The Terps are also averaging 7.7 tackles for loss per game. If the defense can keep Clemson’s running game in check and force Boyd out of his comfort zone, the Terps can hang around and possibly pull out an upset late the fourth quarter.

WHY CLEMSON MIGHT WIN: For all of the struggles that the Clemson offense has endured over the last two and a half games, the quarterback is still Tajh Boyd who holds numerous Clemson records, the Tigers still have Sammy Watkins at wide receiver, they still have senior Roderick McDowell in the backfield, and they still have Brandon Thomas on the offensive line. All is not lost. The Clemson offense needs to get the confidence that they had against Georgia back, and it all starts with the running game. To be a dominant offense, you have to be able to run the football. The offensive line wants to run the football and McDowell wants to run the football. The Clemson defense, on the other hand, had been dominant up until last week when it seemed like nothing they tried, worked. Maryland quarterback Caleb Rowe, isn’t a threat to run the ball leaving him vulnerable to Clemson defensive ends Vic Beasley and Corey Crawford. Without receivers Stefon Diggs and Deon Long, the Clemson secondary’s job got a whole lot easier. If the Clemson defense can avoid giving up the big play, it will be a long day for the Terp offense.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN: Clemson has had problems establishing its ground game over the last several weeks, so the Tigers will come out and try to get the running game going early and take some pressure off of Boyd who has struggled with his consistency in the last two games. Expect Boyd to complete some short passes early on to get his confidence up and then hit the big play to give Clemson an early lead. With Rowe at quarterback, the Clemson defense won’t have to worry as much about keeping him in the pocket and can just pin their ears back and go after him because he doesn’t have the scrambling ability that Brown possesses. The Clemson offense will get back in its groove after struggling mightily a week ago and the defense will find the swagger that it lost against the Seminoles.

FINAL SCORE: CLEMSON 37 MARYLAND 10

Post written by Clemson Girl Sports Bloggess Nikki Steele.

Clemson Gameday Photos - Clemson vs. Maryland

What a beautiful day for Homecoming! The weather was gorgeous and the football was even better! The Tigers got ahead in points early in the game and stayed up the entire game. Our defense made sure Maryland didn't have much of a chance to catch up. Final score: Clemson 45, Maryland 10.


Special thanks to our fab Clemson Girl photographers - Summer Priddy and Melissa Nelson. We only have two home games left (ahhh!), and if you're interested in taking gameday photos for us, let us know! Email us at clemsongirlblog@gmail.com - we will give you a $25 gift certificate from a Clemson Girl sponsor of your choice!

Thanks also to all of you who submitted your own gameday photos to share!

We are love, love, loving your gameday outfits, the Homecoming floats, and all of the beautiful Clemson scenery captured in these gameday photos.

Visit our Flickr site to view the entire album or watch the slideshow below...Enjoy!

Game Prediciton - Clemson vs. Maryland

It’s time to put the death back in Death Valley.

Death Valley was once a venue feared by opponents because it was a rare occurrence for a visiting team to emerge victories.

The Tigers have currently won 11-straight games in the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium, and look to break the record for consecutive home wins set between 1989-1991 when Danny Ford and Ken Hatfield combined for 11 consecutive wins in Death Valley.

Do the Tigers have what it takes to defend their home turf and claim the record?

MARYLAND (4-5, 2-3 ACC) AT NO. 13 CLEMSON (8-1, 5-1)

WHY MARYLAND MIGHT WIN: Saying the Terps are snake-bitten is an understatement. Maryland is on their fifth quarterback after several ACL injuries. True freshman Shawn Petty began the season as a linebacker, but will be making his second start Saturday. The key for Maryland will be how Petty handles the raucous Death Valley crowd and how he manages the game. The key target for Petty will be tight end Matt Furstenburg, who has 14 catches for 169 yards and was seemingly unstoppable against the Tigers in College Park a year ago. Defensively, the Terps are one of the best in the country allowing only 21.7 points per game. Maryland is giving up just over 63 yards rushing and 255 yards through the air in games on the road. If Maryland learned anything from watching the Tigers the last two weeks, it’s that they won’t be able to play man coverage on Clemson’s speedy wide receivers. The Terps are very disciplined and physical on defense, which could give them an advantage against a Tiger offensive line that has been very inconsistent.

WHY CLEMSON MIGHT WIN: There are only so many times a person can write about Tajh Boyd, Sammy Watkins, Andre Ellington, Nuk Hopkins, Jaron Brown and Brandon Ford. The Clemson offense continues to improve each week, and that has to be scary for opponents. The Tigers are averaging over 522 yards per game and over 42 points per game. However, this week the Tigers may have do it without starting running back Andre Ellington, who was hampered with a hamstring injury in the Duke game last Saturday. The good news is that there was absolutely no drop off when D.J. Howard and Rod McDowell entered the game. As good as the offense has been for the Tigers, the defense has also made major strides from week-to-week. At home, the Clemson defense is allowing 20 points per game. The defensive line is getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks and should be able to affect Petty. The Terps could be forced to become a one-dimensional team that relies on running the ball without leading receiver Stefon Diggs and leading rusher Wes Brown.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN: The Maryland defense has been stout all season, but they have yet to face a team that will test them like Clemson. The Clemson offense has been unstoppable all season long, and that trend won’t stop Saturday. For the first time in 2012, Clemson special teams will make a splash and return a kickoff for a touchdown to extend the streak to four years. The Terps will score in the first quarter, but the Clemson defense will settle down and lock down the endzone for the remainder of the game allowing the Tigers to continue with business as usual.

FINAL SCORE: Clemson, 49- Maryland, 10

Post written by Clemson Girl's Sports Bloggess, Nikki Steele.

10.16.10 - Clemson vs. Maryland Gameday Photos

Hooray! The Tigers gave us a win yesterday - beating Maryland 31 to 7, despite some questionable officiating...eh hem.

It was also a very memorable game. Clemson legend CJ Spiller returned to Death Valley to retire his jersey - only the third player to ever do so in Clemson football history. He also gave back to the University in the form of a $100,000 donation.

You can watch the video of it here.

We had some volunteer photographers help us out this weekend with the gameday photos - unfortunately one had to back out and another we're still waiting to hear from and will hopefully have her photos added soon.

But one of our volunteers pulled through! Big thanks to Clemson Girl photog for a day - Tabitha Thompson! She captured some amazing photos from the game. Thanks Tabitha!!

You also sent us some pictures that we've added to the albums - we love having so many different perspectives of game day, so please continue to send them in! Email us at clemsongirlblog@gmail.com and we'll add them to the album.

You can view all of the gameday photos from yesterday's game on our Flickr site.


If you're interested in volunteering to be a Clemson Girl photog for a future Clemson home game, please email us (clemsongirlblog@gmail.com) and let us know! You'll receive a $25 gift certificate to the sponsor of your choice.

Only a week until the next Clemson home game and it's a big one... Stay tuned to the blog this week for some more great posts and we'll see you next weekend!

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Looking for more gameday photo volunteers...

Happy Tuesday ladies!

Hopefully the sadness from Saturday's loss is starting to wear off by now, and hopefully you're already looking forward to this Saturday and another Clemson home game.

For the last home football game, we asked for a few volunteers to help out with our gameday photos. We were so happy with the results that we thought we'd give it a try again.


We are looking for up to four volunteers to help us capture gameday photos this Saturday at the Clemson vs. Maryland football game. Each volunteer will get a $25 gift card to a sponsor (see the sponsor images to the right -->) of their choice!

All you have to do is take at least 75 digital photos in Clemson on Saturday - at least 15 photos have to be Clemson gameday outfits and the rest can be random (tailgates, inside the game, scenery around Clemson, fans, etc.). Visit our past gameday photos to see the types of photos we're looking for. We'll mail you Clemson Girl business cards by Friday to hand out on Saturday while you take photos.

If you take a ton of photos of you and your friends on gameday already, then this opportunity is perfect for you!

We will take the first four volunteers. All you need to do is email us at clemsongirlblog@gmail.com and let us know that you're interested. If you've volunteered before, please feel free to volunteer again!

If you are a professional photographer and you would like to volunteer to take gameday photos for Clemson Girl, in return you have the option of getting free promotion of your business and Web site on our blog, Facebook page and on Twitter (instead of the gift certificate). In addition, you can place your watermark (as long as it's unobtrusive to the photo) on every photo you take and we credit you and your Web site on every one of your photos in the gameday album. This is a great opportunity to get the word out about your business and showcase your talent!

Deadline for emails is 9 p.m. EST this Wednesday, October 13th. We'll select up to four volunteers on a first come/first serve basis, and only one professional photographer (also first come/first serve). We will contact the selected volunteers no later than midnight on Wednesday, October 13th, with all of the details, etc.

You don't have to be a pro photographer to volunteer - you just need to own a digital camera and love taking photos on Clemson gamedays! We look forward to hearing from you. :)

P.S. If you're interested in this opportunity, but would prefer to participate for another Clemson home game instead - please email us (clemsongirlblog@gmail.com) and let us know!

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Caroline's Tiger Pause: Clemson vs. Maryland - Game Analysis

I am so ready for the game Saturday Clemson Girls! Without a doubt the TCU game was disappointing, but it did nothing to derail our goals this season. I really believe that we will not play a team better than TCU the rest of the regular season and the ACC Atlantic is still a realistic and attainable goal. I have no doubt that we are the best team in the Atlantic Division and it is time that we start to play like it. Tomorrow we face our first divisional game of the season and we should absolutely dominate the Maryland Terrapins.

Maryland is solid at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver-but their offensive line is inexperienced and struggling. They have already given up 14 sacks this season and there is no reason in the world that our defense should not feast on them tomorrow. We are clearly the better team going into tomorrow and this should be an easy game. But for whatever reason Maryland continually gives us problems. They have had a disaster start to their season but this is their first conference game. Coach Friedgen is going to have Maryland believing that this is a new start to the season, and it is. This game is in their house, and we need to show the poise and maturity of going in and winning like we should. Maryland is a defense that gives up points and this is a game where our offense needs to come together and look like they did in the second half of the Georgia Tech game. I really hope to see us utilize the tight ends more in this game. We started the TCU game with them being a major factor but their impact lessened as the game went on. While we are still looking for Jacoby's compliment at receiver we need to be passing more to Palmer and Allen. CJ Spiller should have a huge game against Maryland. He ran beautifully against TCU and their run defense is light years better than Maryland's.

This is the game where we need to show how much the culture has changed in Clemson football. We need to show the ACC Atlantic that we are here to take care of business. This is a game that Clemson should win handily. I think it is a real cause for concern if this game is close-it is a disaster if we lose it. Luckily, I am still All In with Dabo, I believe he has changed the attitude of Clemson football, and I think we dominate tomorrow. Maryland has been a constant thorn in our side under Friedgen, and it seems no matter how much better we are than them we play terribly against Maryland. He certainly does some of his best coaching against Clemson. But I think tomorrow we are ready to right this ship and start our quest for winning the Atlantic. Clemson wins big-Go Tigers!!

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